Nichols comes back over Men’s Basketball

Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – Nichols College earned its first Commonwealth Coast Conference victory of the 2014-15 season, defeating the Roger Williams University Men's Basketball team 73-68 Wednesday evening.

The Bison erased a 15-point second-half deficit to earn the comeback win. The victory moves Nichols back to .500 on the year at 3-3, 1-0 CCC. Roger Williams falls to 2-5, 0-1 CCC with the loss.

The Bison utilized a full-court press throughout most of the game that at times stifled the Hawks' ability to get into a rhythm. Nichols forced 23 turnovers over the course of the game, scoring 28 points off of the takeaways.

The game was close early on, with two ties and three lead changes over the first ten minutes of the game. A jumper by Ryan Palumbo (Warwick, R.I.) broke a 12-12 tie a sparked a 12-2 run for Roger Williams. The Hawks ultimately went into halftime leading 30-21.

A layup by Leonard Atkinson (Nantucket, Mass.) at the 15:39 mark gave the Hawks their largest lead, a 15-point advantage (45-30). However, the Bison continued to press and climb their way back into the game. Nichols managed to pull within one and take a 58-57 lead on a layup by Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) with just over five minutes to play.

From there, the Bison defense clamped down on RWU, as the Hawks turned the ball over on six of their next nine possessions. Nichols managed to build its lead to ten with less than a minute to play. The Hawks made one last gasp, pulling to within three with ten seconds left, but the Bison's Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) sank two clutch free throws to give Nichols the win.

Four Bison starters scored in double figures, including Matt Langadas (Sebago, Maine) with a game-high 20 points. Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals, while Koumare had 16 points and five steals. Horton had 12 points and eight boards.

Andrew Wasik (Gainesville, Fla.) scored a career-high 19 points with five assists. Palumbo scored 11 with a career-best nine assists, while Jaylen Jennings (Norwalk, Conn.) finished with 15 points.

On Saturday, Roger Williams will head to Western New England University while Nichols hosts Salve Regina.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Ryan Palumbo: G; 5' 10"; Senior

#12 Andrew Wasik: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#20 Jaylen Jennings: F; 6' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#2 Ryan Palumbo
: 5' 10"; Senior
: G

#12 Andrew Wasik
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#20 Jaylen Jennings
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: F

Players Mentioned

#2 Ryan Palumbo

#12 Andrew Wasik

#20 Jaylen Jennings

Players Mentioned

#2 Ryan Palumbo

#12 Andrew Wasik

#20 Jaylen Jennings